What the Hell Happened to Mike Myers?

Mike Myers successfully made the transition from Not Ready for Prime Time Player to movie star.  His characters and catch-phrases were inescapable.  Myers wasn’t just a comedian, he was shaping pop culture.  And then, he stopped.

What the hell happened?

Mike Myers – Saturday Night Live – 1989-1995

Myers’ first acting job was on a TV commercial when he was 10 years old.  The commercial co-starred Gilda Radner, who was about to become a star on Saturday Night Live.  In 1989, Myers would follow in Radner’s footsteps as a cast member of SNL.

Myers - King of Kensington
Mike Myers – King of Kensington – 1975

In 1975, a young Myers appeared on the Canadian sitcom, King of Kensington.

Many years later, Myers named the character played by Elizabeth Hurley in Austin Powers “Vanessa Kensington” in tribute to the TV show that gave him his start.

Myers - Little Hobo
Mike Myers – Little Hobo – 1979

In 1979, Myers appeared on another Canadian TV show, The Littlest Hobo.  The show is about a stray German shepherd named London who wanders from town to town helping people in need.  Sort of Lassie meets The Incredible Hulk.  In the episode Myers appeared on, London encourages a child in a wheelchair to participate in a Frisbee competition.

In 1982, Myers joined the Canadian touring company for Second City immediately out of high school.  From there, he moved to the United Kingdom.  In 1985,  Myers was one of the founding members of The Comedy Store Players, an improvisational group based in London.

Myers also played a delivery boy in the TV movie, John and Yoko: a Love Story.  Here’s a clip with both of his lines.

In 1986, Myers starred in the British children’s TV program Wide Awake Club.  Myers satirized the show’s typical energy with his own bit, the  “Sound Asleep Club”.

myers - wide awake
Mike Myers – The Wide Awake Club – 1986

Here’s a retrospective about The Wide Awake Club which includes some footage of Myers doing his bit on the show.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMyCeGA9WbY]
Mike Myers - City Limits - 1986
Mike Myers – City Limits – 1986

Myers continued popping up all over Canadian television.  He appeared as Wayne Campbell on the alternative video show, City Limits.  The show was hosted by Christopher Ward (pictured above with Myers).  Myers also played Wayne in one of Ward’s music videos.  Ward later joined the band Ming Tea in Myers’ first Austin Powers movie.

Myers went on to play Wayne in the 1987 series It’s Only Rock & Roll.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydJH5WOnL6o]

On the same show, Myers debuted his character Dieter in a sketch called Kurt and Dieter.

myers - kurt and dieter
Mike Myeres – It’s Only Rock and Roll – 1987
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay6N33y_UG4]

The character would later become a regular on Saturday Night Live as part of the Sprockets sketch.

Mike Myers - Second City
Mike Myers – Second City

Myers returned to Canada and Second City.  This time, he joined the Toronto main stage show rather than the touring company.

In 1987, the future Shrek did his first voice work for an animated show.  Myers provided his voice for the Canadian special, Meet Julie, about a magic doll that comes to life.  Surprisingly, Julie doesn’t kill anybody.

Two years later, Myers moved from Toronto to the Second City in Chicago.

Mike Myers – Saturday Night Live – 1989 – 1995

Myers spent six seasons on Saturday Night Live .  He quickly became a breakout star with characters like Wayne and Dieter.  He also developed recurring characters like Linda Richman and Simon.

In 1989, Myers appeared in a short film called Elvis Stories.  It was a series of sketches about Elvis Presley written and directed by Ben Stiller.  The sketches included a lot of up-and-coming actors.  The sketch Myers appeared in was called Elvis Patties.  John Cusack played a mentally challenged grill cook he cooks up hamburgers which he believes Elvis speaks through.  Jeremy Piven played a shyster who sells Corkey’s Elvis Patties.  Myers played a Cockney customer who gets sick on an Elvis patty.

Mike Myers - Wayne's World -1992
Mike Myers – Wayne’s World -1992

In 1992, Myers and Dana Carvey were tapped to bring the Wayne’s World sketch to the big screen.  Trouble began immediately when Myers wanted to have Carvey’s character, Garth, written out of the movie.  Myers had originally developed Wayne as a solo character while performing with Second City.  The character of Garth was added for Saturday Night Live.  When it came time to take the act to the big screen, Myers wasn’t interested in sharing the spotlight with Carvey.   Carvey was arguably the bigger star at the time and there were rumors of a not-so-friendly rivalry.

Myers has developed a reputation for being, well, a demanding control freak.  He started earning that reputation with his very first movie.  Reportedly, Myers once stormed off the Wayne’s World set due to a lack of margarine for his bagel.

Director, Penelope Spheeris recounted to Entertainment Weekly:

 ”He (Myers) was emotionally needy and got more difficult as the shoot went along.  ‘You should have heard him bitching when I was trying to do that ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ scene: ‘I can’t move my neck like that! Why do we have to do this so many times? No one is going to laugh at that!”’

Eventually, the director assigned her daughter to “babysit Myers” and “fetch his snacks”.

”To this day, I have this image of her sitting on this little cooler, looking at me, like, ‘Mom, I f—ing hate you,” said Spheeris.

myers - ww boyle
Wayne’s World – 1992

Myers used his feature film debut as an opportunity to settle an old score with a girlfriend who dumped him.  The girl in question broke up with Myers due to his preoccupation with his comedy.  She later changed her mind.  In an attempt to reconcile, the girl bought Myers a gun rack as a bit of absurdist humor which she thought Myers would appreciate.  Myers recreated the scene in the movie with the character of Stacy played by Lara Flynn Boyle.  Stacy is depicted in an unflattering light and referred to as ‘psycho hose-beast’.  When the girl who inspired the character saw the movie, she was mortified.  Eventually, Myers reached out to apologize for including the incident in the movie.

Movies based on Saturday Night Live sketches have historically had a bad track record.  But Wayne’s World was the exception to the rule.  Reviews were positive and the movie was a big hit at the box office.

Mike Myers - So I Married an Axe Murderer - 1993
Mike Myers – So I Married an Axe Murderer – 1993

Myers followed up Wayne’s World with the romantic comedy, So I Married an Axe Murderer in 1993.

Myers played a commitment-phobe who meets a girl played by Nancy Travis who may or may not be a serial killer.   Myers also played his own father with a Scottish brogue.

Other actors who had been considered for Axe Murderer included Woody Allen, Chevy Chase, Albert Brooks, and Martin Short.  Sharon Stone was originally attached to the Travis role.  But like Myers, she wanted to play a dual role.  When the studio refused her request, she lost interest.

When Myers agreed to star, he insisted on re-writing the script to better suit his sensibilities.  This resulted in a law suit with the original screen writer, Robbie Fox which eventually resulted in Fox getting sole writing credit.

Myers also clashed with director, Thomas Schlamme.  When Myers was unhappy, he locked himself in his trailer and refused to work.  As a result, the film went over budget. Schlamme puts a positive spin on the tension:

“Mike was taking a stretch beyond his usual self and was playing outside himself.  Personality clashes were bound to happen. We struggled.”

Schlamme denied that Myers was a “control freak” and praised the “total commitment to his work.  But yes, it was difficult”.

So I Married an Axe Murderer opened to mixed reviews and flopped at the box office.  But it has accrued a cult following over the years.

Mike Myers – Wayne’s World 2 – 1993

Later that year, Myers and Carvey returned for a Wayne’s World sequel.

The sequel saw Wayne and Garth attempting to stage a concert dubbed Waynestock.  Wayne gets the idea from a dream of Jim Morrison.

Wayne’s World 2 couldn’t duplicate the success of the original.  It got mixed reviews and disappointed at the box office.

The director of the original WW, Penelope Spheeris, has said she believes Myers prevented Paramount from hiring her for the sequel because they fought while making the first film.

After the disappointment of Wayne’s World 2 and So I Married an Axe Murderer, Myers retreated from Hollywood.  He has said he was waiting for inspiration to hit.  And eventually, it did.

Mike Myers and Elizabeth Hurley - Austin Powers - 1997
Mike Myers and Elizabeth Hurley – Austin Powers – 1997

In 1997, Myers returned to the big screen with the James Bond spoof, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.

Myers played Austin Powers, a swinging English super spy in the 1960’s.  Myers also played his arch nemesis, Dr. Evil.  When Dr. Evil escapes, Austin is cryogenically frozen so that he can capture Dr. Evil whenever he reappears.  When Dr. Evil resurfaces 30 years later in the PC 90’s, Austin is thawed out.  Elizabeth Hurley played a British agent tasked with helping Austin adapt to the changing times.  She also happens to be the daughter of Austin’s 60’s love interest played by Mimi Rogers.

When most people think of Austin Powers, they think of the catch phrases that dominated pop culture in the late 90’s.  They assume that the first Austin Powers movie was a smash hit.  But in reality, it opened at #2 at the box office and only grossed about 50 million dollars in the US.

That was enough to make International Man of Mystery a hit.  But in spite of mostly positive reviews, it wasn’t the box office smash most people remember.  Audiences didn’t really find the first Austin Powers until it was released on video.

Myer’s Wayne’s World director, Penelope Spheeris, recalls the healing experience of watching Austin Powers for the first time:

”I hated that bastard for years.  But when I saw Austin Powers, I went, ‘I forgive you, Mike. You can be moody, you can be a jerk, you can be things that others of us can’t be — because you are profoundly talented. And I forgive you.”’

Mike Myers – 54 – 1998

In 1998, Myers made a dramatic turn in the disco drama, 54, loosely based on the 70’s nightclub, Studio 54.

Studio 54 became the hardest club in the world to get into when disco became a sensation in the 70′s.  It was a haven for drug use and homosexuality.  But the party came to an end in the 80′s with the death of disco and the incarceration of the club’s founders for tax evasion.

Myers played Steven Rubell, one of the two co-founders of Studio 54.  How historically accurate was 54?  The other partner was never mentioned.  The story is mostly fictionalized.

The trailer focuses primarily on Myers.  But Ryan Phillippee was the lead.  Myers’ Rubell is a background character in what amounts to a soap opera.  Neve Campbell and Salma Hayek co-starred.

When test audiences reacted badly to certain plot threads, the studio demanded changes.  Audiences objected to a gay kiss between male leads as well as a happy endings for several of the characters they did not feel deserved them.  The changes resulted in 45 minutes being cut from the film replaced by 25 minutes of new scenes and voice overs.  Not surprisingly, the end result was a bit of a mess.

Reviews were negative and 54 bombed at the box office.  A director’s cut was eventually released on video to better reviews.

Mike Myers and Heather Graham - Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me - 1999
Mike Myers and Heather Graham – Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me – 1999

The next year, Myers returned to Austin Powers for the sequel, The Spy Who Shagged Me.  The sequel traded in co-star Elizabeth Hurley for 90’s it-girl, Heather Graham.

The sequel focused on Powers going back in time once again to recapture his lost mojo.  While back in the 60’s, he meets a free-spirited secret agent played by Graham.

The Spy Who Shagged Me repeated a lot of the same jokes as the first film.  Like a recurring character on a Saturday Night Live sketch, the repetition of popular catch phrases was a big part of the movie’s appeal.  The sequel also introduced new characters like Mini-Me played by Verne Troyer and Fat Bastard played by Myers.

Whereas the first Austin Powers was a modest hit with a devoted cult following, the sequel was a box office smash.  The reviews were still mostly positive, but noted that Spy was basically a retread.  Audiences who saw the first film on video came out to the theaters for the sequel.

Mike Myers – Sprockets

In 2000, Myers made an announcement that he was halting production on his next movie.

The movie in question was to have been another adaptation of one of his popular SNL sketches.  This time featuring the German impressionist, Dieter.  Just weeks before shooting was scheduled to start, Myers announced that he could not ”cheat moviegoers who pay their hard-earned money for my work by making a movie with an unacceptable script.”

The script which was so unacceptable to Myers was written by a scribe named… Mike Myers.

Confused?  Just to clarify, Myers claimed he could not in good conscience make the Sprockets film he was contractually obligated to make because the script he had written wasn’t good enough.

Instead of earning a $20 million pay-day, Myers got slapped with a $30 million dollar law suit for breach of contract.  Imagine Entertainment, which was founded by well-known Hollywood hot-head Ron Howard (aka OpieTaylor aka Richie Cunningham) called Myers ”egomaniacal,” ”irresponsible,” and ”selfish.”

Myers counter sued for his $20 million for “fraud and defamation of character”.  Myers claimed he had been ”emotionally traumatized” by the studio’s ”thug-like, outrageous, and reckless conduct.”

The two parties settled out of court.  The terms of the agreement specified that Myers would make another film for Universal and Imagine at a later date.  But by then, the public battle had cemented Myers’ reputation for being “difficult”.

myers - shrek
Mike Myers – Shrek – 2001

In 2001, Myers voiced the title character in Dreamwork’s Animation’s Shrek.  Eddie Murphy played the animated sidekick, Donkey.  And Cameron Diaz played the lovely princess.

Usually, I don’t say a lot about voice work.  It rarely has a tremendous impact on an actor’s career one way or another.  But Shrek is a special case.

Originally, Chris Farley was cast in the role.  Unfortunately, he died before the film was completed.  Dreamworks turned to Myers who insisted on a complete re-write to remove any trace of Farley’s take on the character.  After Myers had completed his voice work, the animators went to work.

Well into the animation process, Myers changed his mind about his performance.  He decided Shrek should speak with a Scottish accent.  Dreamworks chair Jeffrey Katzenberg agreed to spend an additional $4 million dollars to reanimate sequences which were already synched with Myers’ original voice work.

As it turns out, the gamble paid off.  Shrek was a huge hit with critics and audiences.  I’m still not sure the accent was worth $4 million though.  Would the movie have been as big a hit with Myers’ original recordings?  The world will never know.

Mike Myers – Austin Powers in Goldmember – 2002

In 2002, Myers starred in the third Austin Powers film, Goldmember.

This time, Powers is on a mission to save his father played by Michael Caine.  His mission takes him back in time to the seventies where he meets Foxxy Cleopatra played by Beyoncé Knowles.

In addition to playing Austin Powers, Dr. Evil and Fat Bastard, Myers played a fourth role; the titular Goldmember.  By the third movie, Myers was milking the last laughs out of the concept and it showed.

Once again, Myers decided to use a movie to settle a personal score.  The character of Scott Evil (played by Seth Green) was depicted as losing his hair.  He looked more and more like Ron Howard (with whom Myers had an axe to grind over the Sprockets law suit) as the film went on.  At the end of the film, the Ron Howard look-alike is the new super villain of the series.

ron howard scott evil
Ron Howard – Scott Evil comparison

Reviews were mixed.  But the movie still managed to be a hit.  Over a decade later, there are still rumors Myers may return for a fourth Austin Powers movie.

Mike Myers – View from the Top – 2003

In 2003, Myers took a supporting role in the Gweneth Paltrow stewardess comedy, View From the Top.

Paltrow played a small town girl who dreams of becoming an airline stewardess.  She attends training with Kelly Preston and Christina Applegate.  Myers plays a trainer who takes his job a little too seriously.  He also has a lazy eye.

Myers’ role is essentially an extended cameo.  He manages to be funny despite the lame running gag about his eye.  His scenes are interesting to watch.  It feels like Myers is trying out bits he discarded from other scripts.

View was originally scheduled to be released in 2001, but following in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, it was shelved.  It was finally released to mostly negative reviews two years later.  It bombed at the box office.

myers - cat in the hat
Mike Myers – Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat – 2003

Later that year, Myers starred in the big screen adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat.

Tim Allen was originally cast as the Cat.  But when he had to drop out due to schedule conflicts with The Santa Clause 2, Myers stepped into the role as part of his settlement with Universal and Imagine.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfREV8Z_PBA]

Universal had just had a big hit with Ron Howard’s adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey.  They were hopeful that the same mix of cartoon-inspired special effects and a big-name comedian would result in another big family hit.

But Cat in the Hat got terrible reviews and flopped at the box office.  The movie was nominated for several Golden Raspberries that year.  It won Worst Excuse for an Actual Movie.  Myers was nominated for Worst Actor.  He lost to Ben Affleck for the unholy trio of Daredevil, Gigli  and Paycheck. 

Shrek 2 – 2004

In 2004, Myers returned to the Shrek franchise for Shrek 2.

Having discovered true love, Shrek must now travel to the kingdom of Far Far Away to meet Finona’s disapproving parents.  The sequel is basically Meet the Parents for kids.

The sequel repeated a lot of the same jokes as the original while introducing new characters like Puss in Boots voiced by Antonio Banderas.  Puss proved popular enough to earn his own solo movie in 2011.

Like the Austin Powers movies, the second film was a bigger hit than the first despite a substantial drop in quality.  Reviews were still mostly positive.  And the movie set box office records for animated films.

Despite the success of the Shrek sequel, Myers was stinging from the failure of his live action movies.  Once again, he retreated from Hollywood to look for inspiration.  Myers took five years off from non-animated films between The Cat in the Hat in 2003 and his next live action film in 2008.

In between movies, Myers made a rare TV appearance on a special to raise money for victims of Hurrican Katrina.  He appeared opposite rapper Kanye West who made the infamous statement that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

Myers, a native of Canada, could not look more uncomfortable with the politically charged comment.

Myers later explained his reaction to GQ:

I assume that George Bush does care about black people—I mean I don’t know him, I’m going to make that assumption—but I can definitively say that it appeared to me watching television that had that been white people, the government would have been there faster. And so to me that’s really the point—the look on my face is, to me, almost insulting to the true essence of what went down in New Orleans…

To have the emphasis on the look on my face versus the fact that somebody spoke truth to power at a time when somebody needed to speak? I’m very proud to have been next to him.I’m, like, super proud to have been next to him. The look on my face is…to be honest with you, I thought I handled it well. I was like “This is what’s happening…”

Because live TV is my milieu, and improv is my training, you know. It has been painful that the culture has at times meditated on my surprise, when it’s really the message, dude. The message, the message, the message, you know. There’s a world of fail culture, and it’s hardly a fail on my part to be next to the guy that spoke truth to power at a time when horrific injustices…

Shrek the Third - 2007
Shrek the Third – 2007

In 2007, Myers cashed another check from Dreamworks for voice work in the third Shrek film, Shrek the Third.

In this installment, Shrek is uneasy with the idea of being the heir to the throne of Far Far Away.  So he recruits another heir to sit on the throne.  Also, the film introduced Shrek and Fiona’s cute and marketable ogre babies.

Reviews for the third Shrek were mixed.  Despite the less than enthusiastic reviews, the movie was a hit at the box office.  It wasn’t quite as big a hit as Shrek 2, but it still grossed over $300 million dollars.

DONKEY, SHREK, PRINCESS FIONA
Shrek the Halls – 2007

Continuing the all-Shrek all the time stage of his career, Myers voiced Shrek for a Christmas special in 2007.  The special was called Shrek the Halls.  It’s actually a family favorite in the Lebeau household.  In 2010, Myers and company returned for a Halloween special titled Scared Shrekless which was not nearly as good.

Mike Myers – The Love Guru – 2008

In 2008, Myers followed the same formula that led to the creation of Austin Powers and Dr. Evil.  Only this time, instead of launching a comedy trilogy that would dominate pop culture for years, Myers released The Love Guru.

Myers played a Deepak Chopra-esque guru to help a star hockey player deal with the stress of his wife leaving him.

By this point, many in Hollywood were secretly hoping Myers would fail.  Their hopes would be realized.  Myers’ poured his heart into The Love Guru only to see it rejected by critics and audiences alike.  Film critic Nathan Rabin wrote:

A smart, talented, accomplished writer-actor like Myers spending years meticulously creating, rehearsing, and refining an obnoxious one-note cartoon like Guru Pitka is a like a group of brilliant scientists working around the clock for a decade to build a malfunctioning fart machine: a surreal waste of time, energy and manpower. Yet Myers and his agent were so confident about the commercial prospects of his latest creation that they were discussing sequels with Paramount more than a year before filming began.

The Love Guru was a potential bonanza from a $25 million dollar man accustomed to knocking it out of the park each at bat. Yet between the release of 2003’s underperforming The Cat In The Hat and The Love Guru,something curious happened: The public turned on Myers. The goodwill he engendered through Saturday Night Live, Wayne’s World, Austin Powers,and Shrek was squandered through a series of mercenary, money-grubbing sequels.

myers - inglorious basterds
Mike Myers – Inglorious Basterds – 2009

Since The Love Guru, Myers has more or less retreated from Hollywood once again.  He had a cameo appearance in Inglorious Basterds which is barely worth mentioning except for the fact that Inglorious Basterds is awesome!  And in 2010, Myers cashed his final (for now) Shrek paycheck with Shrek 4.

myers and carvey
Mike Myers and Dana Carvey – 2013

In 2013, Myers appeared at a screening of Wayne’s World to publicly bury the hatchet with his co-star Dana Carvey.  Despite appearing together on SNL and the Wayne’s World films, Carvey and Myers had never been close.  Of course Carvey couldn’t have been thrilled with Myers’ attempts to write his character out of the Wayne’s World movies.  But mostly, Carvey was angry because Myers stole his impression of SNL creator Lorne Michaels and used it as the basis for Dr. Evil.

Penelope Spheeris and the rest of the Wayne’s World cast was also in attendance.  At least publicly, everyone was all smiles.  Neither Carvey nor Myers publicly acknowledged their feud.

Myers - Dr Evil on SNL
Mike Myers – Saturday Night Live – 2014

In December 2014, Myers reprised his Dr. Evil character on a sketch on Saturday Night Live.  The sketch satirized Korean leader Kim Jong-un for his role in the Sony Pictures hacking related to the movie The Interview which depicts a fictional assassination of Jong-un.  It was Myers’ most public performance since his Inglorious Basterds cameo in 2009.

Mike Myers - SNL 40th Anniversary Special - 2015
Mike Myers – SNL 40th Anniversary Special – 2015

In 2015, Myers returned to Saturday Night Live for the 40th Anniversary Special.  Myers and Carvey brought back Wayne’s World for a top ten list.  Norm Mac Donald later described the evening in a series of tweets.  He spoke well of just about everybody including Myers:

Mike and Dana showed up. They were going to do Wayne’s World. I joined the writer’s room, which Mike helmed, and tried to help. Mike Myers has an incredible work ethic and no joke is ever good enough and must be beaten, must be beaten. This is what makes him so good. This is why he has created a half-dozen perfect comedies. Work ethic, remarkable taste, and never taking no for an answer.

Since then, Myers has signed a two-year contract to develop content exclusively for HBO.  Details regarding what that might entail have yet to be announced.

So, what the hell happened?

This is an easy one.  Myers pissed off a lot of people.  Including some really powerful people.  Some put up with him because he was a comic genius who made them rich.  But even they admit the guy is “difficult”.

Then, when Myers stopped hitting home runs, his shit started to stink a lot worse.

Odds are good that Myers will eventually come back with another hit.  A comeback isn’t just possible, it’s likely.  But if it never happens, many in Hollywood will smile broadly that Myers reaped what he sowed.

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Danielle Charney
Danielle Charney
11 years ago

I for one, have never like MM- ever- never liked his brand of humor- so I can’t add much- good post though, as always- plus I have this flu and it’s effecting my ability to a thing

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago

I can sympathize. I’ve been suffering with a chest infection for the last several weeks. I am still hacking like crazy, but I am starting to be able to breathe again. Get well soon!

I have to admit, I have always found Myers funny. Up until Love Guru anyway.

Paul S
11 years ago

Your summation at the end of this piece was brilliant.
Thanks for making me laugh out loud!

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  Paul S

Always happy to oblige. 🙂

seandaniel1966
11 years ago

What a great article. Been waiting for Myers. I must say, though, that without the wonderful world of Shrek, he’d be broke. The ONLY live movie of his that I liked was Ax Murderer. And Love Guru is so bad it doesn’t even qualify as a film…yes, it is that bad.

I have a personal theory. (besides Myers pissing everyone off)

There are just certain comics and script writers that were funny to mainstream audiences in the 90s that just aren’t funny anymore. Our tastes have moved on. I think good examples would be Myers and the Farrelly brothers.

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

One reason I haven’t done a lot of comedians is that I think they have an expiration date. Comedians usually can’t stay on top of their game for very long.

seandaniel1966
11 years ago
Reply to  admin

I think so, too. I was just reading about Sam Kinison. I wonder if he’d be funny today?

Mark Keresman
10 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

Funny today? Not likely — people would’ve gotten tired of his “screaming angry guy” shtick. That said, I thought Sam K was funny in “Back to School.”

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

Also, it can be argued that part of Mike Myers’ problem as time went on is that went from being a clever guy to someone who banks on his star power assume people will “just laugh”. To put it in another way, Mike Myers is the type of guy who seemingly prefers to make himself laugh first, rather than his audience. Another argument that I’ve heard is that Mike Myers seems to only make movies when he can think up enough jokes to try to turn into forced memes to fill up an hour and a half (and then throw… Read more »

Jon Plsek
11 years ago

You forgot one of his most memorable TV appearances—standing stunned next to Kanye West at the Karina-a-thon when he declared that George Bush hates black people. =)

I always get excited when the next installment of WTHHTx shows up in my inbox. Keep it up!

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  Jon Plsek

I’m glad to hear you enjoy the articles. I’ll keep ’em coming.

The Katrina telethon was classic! Part of what made it so great is that Myers is Canadian. He just looked like a deer in headlights. A Canadian caught in awkward American politics. I never laughed so hard at a hurricane relief event.

tbob1
11 years ago

Yep. As I read your first two paragraphs it was immediately clear WTHH to him. He’s a jerk and nobody can stand him. I remember some of these stories too now that I think back on it. How difficult he was/is and his prima donna attitudes. Gotta admit the Austin Powers flicks cracked me up and so did Waynes World. I have them all in my dvd collection. Also gotta admit they don’t hold up well over time. I have rewatched a few of them this past year and the laughs weren’t as good. AP 1 and 2 are still… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  tbob1

Yeah, we love Canada! (Le Blog is quite popular there. Must be the faux French name.) I’m with you. Myers has always cracked me up. Even in a stinker like View From the Top, he still gets some laughs from me. I will always have a soft spot for the first Austin Powers. And the second one is still fun if not nearly as original. I will actually surprised if Myers doesn’t have a comeback eventually. I don’t think he’ll ever recapture his A-list status from the peak of Austin Powers-mania. But I think he’ll come back with a hit… Read more »

seandaniel1966
11 years ago
Reply to  admin

What is the story with the French name?

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

Prepare to be underwhelmed. Lebeau was one of my high school nicknames. When it came time to pick a screen name, it was available. Then when I needed a name for my blog, I started playing around with things. A lot of my early movie-related choices weren’t available. Since I hadn’t fully decided on the content of my blog, I just started kicking around really generic names. Since my screen name was “Lebeau” I came up with “Lebeau’s Le Blog” and liked the sound of it. It made me chuckle. And not surprisingly, it was available. So I snatched it… Read more »

seandaniel1966
11 years ago
Reply to  admin

I totally get that. My real last name is synonymous with serious drinking, which I hate. After enjoying an English character named Nathaniel Drinkwater, I chose Shortwinter as my writer/artist name.

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

The problem with Lebeau (especially when I was writing comic book reviews) is that it is also the name of the X-Men character, Gambit, who sucks. So, I get that a lot. Less now that I am not writing about comic books.

seandaniel1966
11 years ago
Reply to  admin

Why did you stop?

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

Combination of things. Lack of time. Lack of money. Comics are ridiculously expensive. And frankly, lack of interest. There are still books I enjoy, but they are farther and fewer between than they used to be. Comics moved in the direction of being “edgy” for the sake of it. I don’t mind dark material, but I don’t want to read about rape in every other Justice League comic. It has gotten to the point where you just expect supporting characters (usually minorities) to be killed off or dismembered in every story. But, I guess that’s what sells these days. At… Read more »

seandaniel1966
11 years ago
Reply to  admin

The only comic I buy is Heavy Metal, since 1981. Do you know it?

BTW, I don’t write posts about military vehicles (which I love and restore regularly) because nobody cares.

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

I have flipped through a couple issues of Heavy Metal. Never actually bought a copy. It looks interesting. And of course I have seen the animated movie a few times.

There are people who care about comics. We’ve had a pretty good following over at read/RANT, the comics site I wrote for. But I have a lot more fun here.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

I came back to look at this article because we’d had a quick conversation about Myers last night in rehearsal. I was amused to find that somebody gave a thumbs down to the story about your nickname. Yeah, thumbs down to you too, buddy! In my memory there was a lot more evidence of Myers being a pain in the butt, but mostly what I’m seeing here is early with Carvey and Spheeris and then the feud over the Deiter film with Howard which is one where a reasonable person might take his side. (might) Mostly it just seems like… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

You should try Reddit. The down-voting there is vicious and it has consequences. Too many downvotes and your ability to post is restricted. This is one of those judgement call things. There’s not as much factual evidence as it feels like there should be. And yet, I feel pretty confident that Myers is a huge pain in the ass. Anecdotally, I have read too many stories which end with Myers telling a fan to go f#ck them selves and not a single one in which he treated a fan with humor or respect. When it comes to collaborators, there’s an… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

I don’t know about that last one, Lebeau. How do you think many of these people became the successes they are? Often it was based on their ability to charm the right people. I’m sure sometimes that comes off very fake, but I would bet that in many more cases their skill in this is pretty impressive and even genuine. If an actor comes into an audition and reads well but acts like an unbelievable jerk prior to being a really big deal they will tend to not get cast. Maybe many performers become unbearable asses once they become successful,… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

Look over the list of WTHH subjects. What percentage do you think would make good lunch companions? I imagine a lot of self-aggrandizing stories. And that’s just my half of the conversation.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

Among just the male WTHH subjects I counted 17 I thought might be a decent lunch companion if you got shoved together at the studio cafeteria. Maybe I’m too willing to believe the best of people unless they’ve proven otherwise. Also, keep in mind that by confining that question to the WTHH members you are automatically including a number of human train wrecks who are members of WTHH for that very reason. Many of the most revered actors in the business (say Streep or DeNiro) are consistently lauded by costars for their generosity and team attitude. Fame can make a… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

That’s 17 out of 42. Of course I stacked the deck by limiting your choices to WTHH subjects. Robert Duvall? He’s not exactly what I had in mind when I said “successful Hollywood types”. Yes, I realize he is successful and connected to Hollywood. But I was really talking about movie stars. Although if you can arrange a lunch date with Streep, I will definitely keep that appointment. She seems delightful.

RB
RB
8 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

You guys are killing me here… in the realm of planning just what we would do and say to who and when and how with our winning lottery tickets…. I’d have lunch with just about anyone featured on these pages, just for the stories they could tell! Of course, everyone also has a PR machine that would have pre-arranged almost every utterance. Still, it would be interesting all the same.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  RB

If I got to pick, I’d have lunch with Daffy Stardust! You should hear his wild stories.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

The more savory the food, the less savory the stories.

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  admin

as a sports fan, “Lebeau” first reminds me of Steelers/Lions Hall of Fame defensive back/defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau.

Gambit was ok by me until he became so popular and they failed to actually develop his personality while still featuring him a lot. just >yawn< after that. And what was with his costume? Either have a super hero costume and lose the trench coat, or don't have a super hero costume. Trying to split the difference was just dumb.

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  admin

I am sports illiterate. But I know the name. That is it though. No idea who he is. As for Gambit, I was just never an X-Man fan. As one of the lamer X-Men, I just never got his appeal. I assume it was coolness factor rubbing off on him because he got to mack on Rogue. You’re absolutely right about the costume. Jim Lee is a great artist, but his character design is god awful. Which makes you wonder who let him redesign the entire DC universe! Back before I read comics, my younger brother used to compare me… Read more »

Molly
Molly
11 years ago

I know this may sound cruel, but I really hope a comeback is not in the cards for Myers, because, on top of the fact that he has a crappy sense of humor & is even less collaborative than George Lucas, if his idea of a ‘labor of love’ is a godawful flick like ‘Love Guru,’ then the only kind of thing he could do for an encore is a movie in which everyone communicates by farting.

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  Molly

I think you may have just inspired Myers next character. I wonder if he can fart in a Scottish brogue.

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  admin

if he can, I want to see it!

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  admin

If he isn’t working on this right now, I would be sadly disappointed. Can you imagine all the flapping kilt jokes? Farting Scottsman writes itself!

conneeconehead
11 years ago

At one point on imdb.com, Myers was listed to portray the late Keith Moon, drummer for The Who, in a biopic to be produced by Who lead singer, Roger Daltrey. (Myers was already 10 years older than Moon was at the time he died.) You know Myers’ star had fallen when there were hundreds of petitions from Who fans going around against Myers playing the lead role. Now Myers name is no longer associated with the project.

RB
RB
11 years ago

In some ways, I think Myers was lucky to have gotten a career beyond SNL, where he shone (even then I thought Carvey was more talented) but the first AP movie is one of my all time favorites. So much so that I never watched 2 and 3. Why, why why do I love International Man of Mystery so much, with so much sophomoric humor in it? Because.. it’s one of those movies where everything all together in the finished product, just kind of works. The actors/script/visuals/soundtrack all just kind of blended together seamlessly into something that became part of… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  RB

On this one, we agree 100%. If I had been placing bets in 1992, I would have bet against Myers having a film career. I also would have bet on Carvey having more success than he did – although that was largely due to health problems.

The first Austin Powers really is wonderful. The sequels have tarnished it a little in my mind. But if you can separate the original from the sequels, there’s a lot of originality and joy in that first movie.

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago
Reply to  admin

You can make the argument that a large part of appeal in the first “Austin Powers” film (and what made it so great in the first place) was the simple concept of having a man completely out of the loop be revived. He in the process, has to adjust to having 30+ years of change happen in an instant by his timeline. It therefore made for not just some of the best bits, but best plot points as well. That whole charm and element was gone for the second and third films since the first film ended with him more… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago

That is it exactly. The first film was a loving look at the 60s from the point of view of the 90s. It was a great fish out of water story that couldn’t be duplicated. It had a sweetness that came from Myers’ genuine affection for the psychadellic spy flicks of the era and the music of Burt Bacharach.

The sequels just replayed the best jokes of the series over and over.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  admin

You can make the argument that Mike’s best films (e.g. the first “Wayne’s World” and “Austin Powers” respectively) clearly had a message to get across (and it wasn’t Mike simply cashing in or trying to be as weird and outrageous as possible). For example, “Wayne’s World” (at least the first one) wasn’t simply a “Saturday Night Live” skit turned into a feature length movie, it satirized the music and television industry and mentality of the time. This is an interesting observation of how “The Love Guru” could’ve actually been salvageable had Mike been more able to address certain points/themes in… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Bad Movie Beatdown: The Love Guru:
http://blip.tv/film-brain/bad-movie-beatdown-the-love-guru-6996559

Film Brain finds there’s no love lost when it comes to the movie that infamously ended Mike Myers’ career – through pain, we can let the spiritual healing begin. Contains strong language, frequent moderate sex references and slapstick violence. This work is protected by Fair Use.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

15 Most Annoying Movies Of All-Time: http://whatculture.com/film/15-most-annoying-movies-of-all-time.php/10 The Love Guru If you build a movie around an insufferable character, then chances are you’re going to wind up with an insufferable movie. That’s exactly what happened with The Love Guru, a motion picture so unfunny that it actually killed Mike Myers’ career. Had The Love Guru been just unfunny, though, the film might have been somewhat forgivable – unfortunately, it is a grueling exercise in testing one’s patience that seems designed as a laughter-killer. Mike Myers plays the central character of the title, of course, and in doing so he winds… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Zoolander 2 and Comedy Sequels: A Cautionary Tale http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/comedy/253053/zoolander-2-and-comedy-sequels-a-cautionary-tale Action comedies tend to have things a bit easier. People hold their favorite cult classics to a higher standard than summer popcorn fare. But as long as action comedies stick to the Three Year Rule, the results range from passable to an improvement on the original work. And when it came to the Golden Age, there was no greater success story than Mike Myer’s Austin Powers trilogy. From the first, “Yeah Baby,” Mike Myers’ Austin Powers was destined to become the grooviest film comedy icon of the decade. Coinciding with the… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago
Reply to  admin

Yeah, Dana Carvey (you can argue that among the late ’80s early ’90s “SNL” cast-members, he was supposed to be the big break-out star in terms of film success) had a botched heart operation in the late ’90s that put him out of commission for a while. He tried to make a comeback w/ “Master of Disguise” but it really didn’t amount to anything because of it’s mostly negative feedback.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  admin

10 Terrible Film Sequels That Somehow Made It To Cinemas: http://whatculture.com/film/10-terrible-film-sequels-somehow-made-cinemas.php/8 4. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) Sequel To: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, a spoof of the James Bond series which cemented Mike Myers’ pop culture status after the success of Wayne’s World 1 & 2. Who Made It?: Jay Roach, who also helmed the first film. No excuses then. Why Was It Made?: Austin Powers was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic, coinciding with the Cool Britannia trends in Britain and the recent re-launch of the Bond series with Goldeneye. Having… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

5 Great Comedy Movie Sequels (And 5 That Were Disappointments): http://whatculture.com/film/5-great-comedy-movie-sequels-5-disappointments.php/9 When I was an adolescent, quoting lines from “Austin Powers” movies was just something that was done. “Yeah baby!”, “Do I make you horny, baby?”—it was not long before people would only quote those lines when they were trying to be ironic. Now, it’s very much a thing of the past. There’s no irony involved anymore. Nobody dresses up like Austin Powers for Halloween. No one ever tries to do a Dr. Evil impression. It’s done. The time has passed. So why did this happen? It’s simple: Mike Myers… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

‘I would love to do another Austin Powers,’ reveals Mike Myers as cast spill behind-the-scenes secrets 20 years after original

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4453134/Mike-Myers-reveals-fourth-Austin-Powers-film-happen.html

RB
RB
11 years ago
Reply to  RB

As an example, Dana Carvey could easily have done a variety of supporting roles. Jon Lovitz certainly did, and with a lot less range. Enjoyable, but always basically Jon Lovitz. I am a big fan of SNL alums transitioning to the big screen but it doesn’t always work out.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  RB

I’ve heard the argument (primarily from the Haphazard Stuff site regarding a video concerning bad sequels like “City Slickers 2”) that somebody like Jon Lovitz could never really be successful as a feature length, film star (when compared to his “SNL” days) because his acting style/style of comedy is too animated and schtick filled.

And again, speaking of Dana Carvey:
http://splitsider.com/2012/10/the-lost-roles-of-dana-carvey/

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

I am honestly surprised whenever any of the SNL guys make the transition. To success on SNL you need to be a chameleon. There are exceptions. Chevy Chase, John Belushi and Bill Murray were bigger personalities than character actors. But most of the more recent SNL stars are doing characters that don’t necessarily transition to the big screen.

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago

Good for them.

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

Apparently, after the first “Wayne’s World” film proved to be a major hit, an “SNL” producer told Mike Myers if there was anyone he wanted to work with, just let him know. Myers’ response: Federico Fellini. The producer kept waiting for him to laugh…then realized Myers was completely serious, that having one hit under his belt meant he could work with the man who made “8 1/2”.

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago

LOL. I have not heard that one before. Hysterical. I wouldn’t believe it, but with Myers anything is possible. He wanted to write Garth out of Wayne’s World for crying out loud!

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Speaking of which, I wonder why the second “Wayne’s World” film wasn’t as big of a box office success as the first one. To put things in proper perspective,the first “Wayne’s World” movie grossed about $121 million at the domestic box office. By comparison, Wayne’s World 2 only grossed about $48 million (barely breaking even). Supposedly, part of the problem was that “Wayne’s World 2” got lost in the shuffle during the ’93 holiday/Christmas season w/ “Mrs. Doubtfire”, “Schindler’s List”, and “The Pelican Brief” out around the same time. I think another problem or issue is that when the first… Read more »

Shemp
10 years ago

re: Between the time(early 1992-late 1993) in which the first and second “Wayne’s World” movies were released, grudge permeated music. Thus, Wayne and Garth’s love of ’80 hair bands and what not seemed out of touch with the 17-25 year old target audience. Basically, the movie or movies felt dated by this point. VERY GOOD POINT — the target audience “aged-out,” so to speak, and “hair bands” were getting to be uncool by that point and/or seeing as the average USA youth has little sense of history, the kids couldn’t relate to Wayner and Garth. Also, SOUTH PARK kind of… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Shemp

What if Austin Powers pulled a Bond and changed actors? http://officialfan.proboards.com/thread/519860/austin-powers-pulled-changed-actors Post by mizerable on 12 hours ago Austin Powers already has nothing left in the tank. It was painfully obvious with how terrible Goldmember was. Mike Myers is also a shell of himself. I didn’t see the Love Guru or Cat in the Hat, but I’ve seen enough from the trailers and scenes shown elsewhere that make me desire to inflict pain upon him, which is not what you want from a “comedian”. Myers was also the only thing I hated about Inglourious Basterds. His 2 minute cameo (which… Read more »

Mastro
Mastro
10 years ago

You might be overthinking it- Waynes World was OK- but no Caddyshack. A lot of people who saw the first might have decided a sequel really wasn’t needed.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Mastro

Exactly.

RB
RB
11 years ago

That is an excellent point about the concept in the first AP movie, Terence. The concept did make the movie and it gave the writers a vehicle for writing almost elegant satire. And of course, Myers played the role with charm and gusto. it’s also a compelling thought, as others have noted, that many comedians have a shelf life. Their brand of humor may suceed via the novelty aspect in the beginning.
Cat in the hat – double ugh.

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

25 A-List Hollywood Actors Who Fell the F Off: http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/02/25-a-list-hollywood-actors-who-fell-the-f-off/mike-myers Mike Myers Best Known For: Wayne’s World (1992), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Shrek (2001) Most Recent Project: Shrek Forever After (2010) You can’t blame a man for getting lazy with all that green monster money. Odds are, Mike Myers was a vital part of your childhood. Between Wayne’s World, Austin Powers, and Shrek, he’s been the vehicle for a decade’s worth of funny quotes at the middle-school lunch table. Someone should’ve warned him, though: The demands of a huge cartoon franchise can monopolize your creative output. Outside… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

Let’s Give These 11 Washed-Up Feature Film Actors Their Own Television Series:
http://www.pajiba.com/seriously_random_lists/lets-give-these-11-washedup-feature-film-actors-their-own-television-series-.php

Mike Myers — Myers kind of screwed his own career, selling out too hard with a series of overly broad comedies and sequels He’s a gifted comedic actor, but also kind of limited. He could be good in the right role, but given his age and his limitations, I’m not sure that role exists on network television: At best, I could see is a scene-stealing, crazy drunken uncle on a irreverent family sitcom.

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

The Lost Roles of Mike Myers: http://splitsider.com/2011/06/the-lost-roles-of-mike-myers/ Outside of the Shrek films, the past decade hasn’t been to kind to Mike Myers’s career. While its now commonplace for critics and Internet commenters to dogpile on the man, let’s not let The Love Guru taint our collective opinion of Myers. He’s created a lot of beloved comedy in his time, especially with his work on Saturday Night Live, Wayne’s World, and Austin Powers. In an industry where most big name comedy actors are pumping out two or three movies a year, their faces a ubiquitous presence on the posters and cardboard… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

The real reason Mike Myers’ Dieter never happened http://www.looper.com/29417/real-reason-mike-myers-dieter-never-happened/ After Mike Myers’ phenomenal big-screen success with Wayne’s World and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, production started in 1998 on Dieter, the next surefire hit from the ex-Saturday Night Live star, screenwriter, and comic chameleon. Myers’ second-best-known SNL bit after “Wayne’s World” was probably “Sprockets,” a bizarre German talk show hosted by the off-putting, nihilistic, art-schooly, all-black-wearing, stereotypically German guy Dieter, along with his pet monkey Klaus. (Like Wayne Campbell, Dieter was a catchphrase machine: standouts include “I’m as happy as a little girl,” “Now is the time on Sprockets… Read more »

RB
RB
11 years ago

interesting stuff Terrence. A movie about “Da Bears” gang could have been a lot of fun. As Lebeau’s main article indicates, and the writer in the link above skips over, Myers may have lost out on projects for being difficult. I remember when the Keith Moon movie was being discussed and thought it sounded intriguing. And I do agree that he might have aced Charlie and the Chocolate factor, as capable an actor as is Johnny Depp, Myers would have brought his unique comedy persona to the role, and it could have revived his career. But alas instead there was… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

20 Movies That Made Us Think Differently About The Actors In Them (And Not In A Good Way):
http://styleblazer.com/73727/20-movies-that-made-us-think-differently-about-the-actors-in-them-and-not-in-a-good-way/5/

Mike Meyers killed it with his stupid-funny Austin Powers routine, managing to milk it for an entire trilogy. When it got stale, he invented The Love Guru, which was stupid but not in a funny way.

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

10 Formally Respected Actors Who Have Probably Gone Insane: http://whatculture.com/film/10-formally-respected-actors-who-have-probably-gone-insane.php/6 5. Mike Myers Austin Powers was a long time ago and Wayne’s World even longer, though he has had the success of Shrek to fall back on, though even that franchise has now more than over-stayed its welcome. His fall from grace however is more down to his horrible choice of live action roles than constantly going back to the well for another outing as the green ogre. While the signs were beginning to show with Goldmember, even his most vocal of critics wouldn’t have been able to foresee what… Read more »

RB
RB
11 years ago

I like it. Wayne and Garth would be seen initially through flashbacks and then in present time, they are conservative, boring accountants and have teenagers of their own. Wayne Jr and Garth Jr find their parents music lame and form their own band. Oh, the possibilities!

admin
Admin
admin
11 years ago
Reply to  RB

If Myers writes it, I expect 90 minutes of how awesome he is, Garth being killed off during the opening credits and poo jokes aplenty.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  RB

I seem to remember in his review for “Wayne’s World 2” the late Gene Siskel suggesting for a third movie that either Wayne or Garth get married and have to cope w/ being away from one another.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  RB

Second Time’s (Not) A Charm: 15 Stars Who Messed Up Their Iconic Roles For Crappy Sequels: http://styleblazer.com/107950/second-times-not-a-charm-15-stars-who-messed-up-their-iconic-roles-for-crappy-sequels/14/ It’s hard to follow-up a runaway hit like Wayne’s World, but Wayne’s World 2 certainly tried. While the film was far from a commercial or critical failure, the movie failed to live up to its legacy. Part of the reason was, like Blues Brothers 2000, it repeated virtually the same plot of its predecessor, albeit less well. Secondly, the movie’s theme of “not selling out” seemed highly dubious given the fact the film’s a cash grab repeat of the original. Legendary grunge rock… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

10 Actors Who Are Nowhere Near As Great As They Used To Be: http://whatculture.com/film/10-actors-who-are-nowhere-near-as-great-as-they-used-to-be.php/3 8. Mike Myers There is something about Hollywood that sucks the spark out of those comedians that make it on the big screen. They explode into the stratosphere making us question how we were able to even live our boring lives before they came along. Such was the case with Mike Myers. Honing his comedic skills on Saturday Night Live, he made the jump with the bitching Wayne’s World, followed that up with the nice-guy So I Married An Axe Murderer and then everyone’s favorite Millennium… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Five Actors You Should Never Fight for Creative Control: http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/2010/07/23/five-actors-you-should-never-fight-for-creative-control 3. Mike Myers Cliche suggests that all comedians have a moody, tyrannical monster underneath their wisecracking exteriors. One comedian who seems to fit this mold is Mike Myers, whose track record of film success is tempered by numerous stories of behind-the-scenes tantrums. Myers was apparently against including Dana Carvey’s Garth character in 1992’s Wayne’s World for fear that Carvey, a slightly bigger star, would overshadow his own turn as the title character. He also supposedly stormed off Wayne’s World’s set because there was no margarine for his bagel. Years later,… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

10 Famous Actors Who Are Notoriously Difficult To Work With: http://whatculture.com/film/10-famous-actors-who-are-notoriously-difficult-to-work-with.php/10 2. Mike Myers You could be forgiven for thinking that “a night out on the town with Mike Myers” might make for a great old time, but this costume-inclined funnyman has earned more of a reputation for going totally nuts on set, so maybe you should reconsider that drink, huh? I hear Keanu Reeves is nice. Anyhow, Mike Myers has spent much of his career making everybody hate him. Though those who have worked close with the Austin Powers actor have cited him as a “genius,” they’ve also called… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Mike Myers: Has Hollywood’s funniest man lost the Midas touch? Mike Myers was once hailed as Hollywood’s funniest man. As yet another of his movies is slammed by the critics, Guy Adams examines what went wrong: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/mike-myers-has-hollywoods-funniest-man-lost-the-midas-touch-887022.html 1. The Mike Myers work ethic Myers waited six years to appear in another film after the Austin Powers trilogy (provided you ignore his voiceover work in the Shrek animations and The Cat in the Hat). In the fickle world of Hollywood, that’s simply far too long. Today, the majority of Myers fans are over the age of 25. Many have grown up,… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

15 Hollywood Comebacks That Didn’t Take (Maybe These Celebrities Find A Side Gig):
http://styleblazer.com/107025/15-hollywood-comebacks-that-didnt-take-maybe-these-celebrities-find-a-side-gig/4/

The Love Guru (2008) was intended to revive the live-action movie career of Mike Meyers the same way the Austin Powers franchise had years earlier. Unfortunately, it failed miserably both critically and commercially. A brief supporting role in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds was overshadowed by the breakout performances by Christoph Waltz and Michael Fassbender. Meyers will soon be attempting another career reinvention with Wayne’s World 3 and Austin Powers 4, which are currently in the works.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Hollywood Career Killers: 15 Movies That Helped Do Away With Major Tinseltown Players: http://styleblazer.com/141888/hollywood-career-killers-15-movies-that-helped-do-away-with-major-tinseltown-players/14/ The Love Guru was Mike Myers’ Austin Powers follow-up and a huge commercial disaster. The film featured Myers as an Hindu guru (um…) whose unconventional tactics are employed to restore the love-life of a well-endowed hockey player (Justin Timberlake). No, we aren’t making that up. Even worse, Myers roped Jessica Alba and bunch of other talents into the film based of the goodwill accrued by previous projects. The film tanked, was accused of xenophobia by Hindus and was torn apart by critics. The film has been… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

25 Movies That Killed Careers: http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/09/25-movies-that-killed-careers/the-love-guru The Love Guru (2008) The casualty: actor Mike Myers As long as they keep making Shrek movies, Mike Myers won’t truly ever be “dead,” career-wise. Just don’t expect any live-action comedies written by and starring the Saturday Night Live alum anytime soon. Sorry, Austin Powers fans, but 2008’s The Love Guru basically obliterated any hopes of having a major studio fork over the big bucks to Mr. Myers. The bad will technically started in 2003, when The Cat in the Hat was nominated for three Razzie awards, including a Worst Actor nod for Myers.… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

12 Actors Whose Careers Were Destroyed By A Single Movie: http://whatculture.com/film/12-actors-whose-careers-were-destroyed-by-a-single-movie.php/2 11. Mike Myers – The Love Guru The Actor: Despite visibly helming two successful comedy franchises (Wayne’s World and Austin Powers), Mike Myers is best known for playing Shrek, a character it’s nigh on impossible to make out as him. What’s funny is that these three series aside, Myers, a highly regarded name in comedy, doesn’t have many films to his name. His career was pretty much made on the back of Austin Powers, which he’s seemed unable to follow on from. The Film: Now technically this all started… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

I haven’t actually read any of the entries in this list, but does anyone really think a career can be destroyed by a single movie? The premise just seems ridiculous to me. If a single movie can really derail a career, you don’t actually have a career. I think the WTHH articles illustrate that no one movie ends a career. There are usually numerous factors that lead to a career cooling off. Yes, a flop can cause a star to lose career momentum. But an A-list star should be able to absorb a single misstep no matter how big. In… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

The Love Guru (2008) – A Review: http://haphazard-stuff.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-love-guru-2008-review.html Star hockey player Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) has emotional problems since his wife left him for his rival Jacques “Le Coq” Grandé (Justin Timberlake). With his skills no help to the Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup, the team owner Jane Bullard (Jessica Alba) hires Guru Pitka (Mike Myers) to help Darren overcome this stress and help them win the Cup and the admiration of their fans. Initially the unorthodox Pitka has his own sights set on dethroning Deepak Chopra as the number one guru and is eying a guest… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

10 Forgotten Actors That Need To Make A Comeback: http://whatculture.com/film/10-forgotten-actors-that-need-to-make-a-comeback.php/5 6. Mike Myers Mike Myers was a comedy heavyweight throughout the 90s and much of the early 2000s. Sure Mike has done some voice work for Shrek but the last movie that he managed to headline was The Love Guru which left quite a few of us wondering, what the hell happened? When Austin Powers hit the scene people were visiting emergency rooms because they were in so much pain from laughing too hard. Much like anything else that is good, too much of a good thing became a bad… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

What Wrong Wrong?: Vol. Whatever – The Love Guru https://znculturecast.wordpress.com/2016/10/24/what-wrong-wrong-vol-whatever-the-love-guru/ Mike Myers has long been considered an egomaniacal nightmare in Hollywood, but the success of both the Austin Powers and Shrek franchises largely allowed him to run roughshod all over Hollywood for the better part of a decade. Because his films brought in big box office receipts, Myers’ self-indulgent ego went completely and utterly unchecked. Even his relative box office misses, 2003’s The Cat in the Hat for example, still somehow made money. This all changed in 2008 when Myers’ notorious The Love Guru not only bombed spectacularly, but also… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

COMMENTARY TRACKS OF THE DAMNED:
http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-cat-in-the-hat,28691/

Crimes:
• Turning a children’s classic into a crass forum for the mildly ribald improvisational stylings of Mike Myers

• Adding all the boner, bat-in-the-crotch, and gonorrhea jokes that the original book apparently lacked, and pointlessly sexing it up with leering shots of Kelly Preston’s cleavage and a Paris Hilton cameo

• Draining Dr. Seuss’ story of all that icky wonder, magic, and lyricism

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